Doin' It Louisiana Style
by GalaxieGurl
Summary: Caroline Julian decides to bring a little Southern flavor to her Halloween this year. If you don't celebrate this holiday, please just enjoy the story as a fall festival observance.


Doin' It Louisiana Style

Caroline Julian was bored. The sweet-talking video producer Andrew Jursic she'd enjoyed meeting during his Jeffersonian filming had returned to Mobile, and her social life was once more as bland as old Aunt Flossie's bread pudding. Matthias and Theo, the brothers she fostered were both doing well in school and no longer occupied all of her time. She decided what she needed was a party.

Since her cousin's daughter Angelique was now attending Howard University, the girl's mother was coming for Parents' Weekend October 24-26th. Caroline telephoned Felicity to stay for a week after the college activities had ended, and the two ladies had a long laughing conversation recalling the Halloweens of their girlhood.

"No city knows how to celebrate that holiday better than round N'Awlings, Chere!" Felicity had declared. "I guess since I'll be with you this year, we can decorate your house up in fine style."

"You know what, that's a great idea! I haven't pulled out those boxes in years and my boys would be a big help. When Marcella was little, David and I used to fill our front yard with so many props, the kids had a hard time making it to the front door to yell "Trick or Treat!" While I'm at it, I'll have a little party to introduce you to the folks I work with, Felicity. I haven't hosted a social gathering in ages and that's just what I need to blow the cobwebs out of my brain!"

The basement of Caroline's Michigan Park house was filled with spooky holiday decorations; cackling witches dressed in gauzy black, humorously titled styrofoam tombstones, and friendly skeletons holding clad in various costumes holding signs like "Mourning Call", and "The Rib Room". This last was Caroline's favorite. The bony character was all decked out in a butler's suit, and carried a tray of cocktails along with his wry cardboard calling card.

The district attorney invited her engineer daughter to visit for the weekend and Marcella was delighted, promising to bring her boyfriend Terence along. Feeling particularly magnanimous, Caroline called her ex-husband David Baron to come help festoon the yard. He arrived with a bottle of her favorite wine, six bottles of Pepsi, and five boxes of Wise Guy pizza which had been the Friday night staple for dinner all through Marcella's childhood.

Friday evening, the reunited family kept Theo and Matt running up and down the basement steps, telling stories of Halloweens past and recounting the many years of candy and costumes the row house had seen as Marcie grew up. The brothers each inhaled an entire pizza, exclaiming around mouthfuls of cheese and pepperoni how delicious it was, as Caroline fussed about their deplorable table manners.

"Mama, they aren't at the table!" Marcella laughed as her mother rolled her eyes at the three of them.

They finished up their decorating chores early Saturday morning. Once the yard, front porch, and downstairs rooms were completely populated with Halloween characters, garland, spider webs, and hidden recordings of moans and screams, the merry group went back inside for a hearty lunch of Caroline's shrimp sausage gumbo and her grandmama's chicken jambalaya, which had been simmering in the kitchen since 6 a.m.

Then they headed upstairs to don costumes each other hadn't seen, getting dressed by 4:30, when their guests began to arrive. Since she'd been occupied with a case all week, Caroline knew better than to attempt preparing dinner for everyone, so she'd arranged the party as a potluck, with each family bringing whatever foods would satisfy their kiddos and other culinary masterpieces to delight the adults.

Booth and Brennan, Cam and Arastoo, Hodgins and Angela arrived with their children and teens, Aubrey and Jessica, Wendell and Andie, Clark and his new girlfriend came, and several interns dropped by as well. Daisy brought little Seeley with a buddy from kindergarten. The little ones like Hank were somewhat wary of all the spook, but Cam's three boys, Christine, and Michael Vincent thoroughly enjoyed themselves inspecting each skeleton and witch, listening to the recorded stories an Orphan Annie figure was reciting, and jumping out to startle their younger siblings and friends.

Once dinner was over, the group watched Bette Midler's antics in "Hocus Pocus" and played a few rowdy games of charades. Jessica enjoyed meeting Caroline's daughter and niece and the three found much in common. Hodgins and Aubrey played video games with Matt and Theo, as the four traded victories several times. Angela, Brennan and Cam had a lively conversation with Caroline and Felicity, noting the similarity between her name and Cam's sister; recounting various pranks they'd played on each other growing up. Angie and Brennan agreed privately they were glad to have been only daughters. Booth was pleased to see Marcella again, and had a good conversation with David Barron about the upcoming trial for which he was preparing.

Caroline had purposely planned her party for the day before Halloween. Since Sunday fell on October 31st this year, the trick-or-treating tradition would occur the following night.

By 10 p.m. the little kids were seriously nodding off, so everyone thanked Caroline and headed out to tuck them in bed. Their hostess sighed with satisfaction as her ex-husband closed the door behind him, carrying the last of the jambalaya.

"I'm too tuckered out to do that again any time soon, but I had a grand time. Ya think everyone else enjoyed themselves, Felli?"

Her sister pulled off one high heel, then the other; stretching and wiggling her sore toes. "Yup, Caroline, you threw a really good party, Hon. Momma would be proud!"

"Now last one to bed is a Zombie!" Race you up the stairs, Angelique!" Marcella shouted.

"Our mommas are gonna be the losers for sure!" her cousin agreed.

**Happy Halloween, everyone! If you don't celebrate that, then Happy Thursday evening!  
**


End file.
